Chapter 4 #2
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Jessamine agreed with a curtsy. A blush burned on Hugo’s cheeks. He wouldn’t ever describe himself as very handsome, but he was honored that the queen would make such a comment.
His gaze inched up so he could see the queen.
She was a stately, regal woman of middle age, though she appeared several years younger than her actual age.
Her features were too severe to be called delicate or lovely, but she was a very attractive, powerful-looking woman.
And right now, her expression felt very dangerous.
“Lady Hawthorne attended the Winthrop Spring Gala last night, and she was telling me so many wonderful stories about the event. I’m sure you recall seeing my dearest friend and cousin, Lady Hawthorne, at the ball,” the queen continued.
Hugo’s eyes snapped to the woman the queen motioned to on her right.
She was even older than the queen, with a very superior air about her.
Gray streaked her dark hair heavily, and a cold smile tilted up her thin lips.
It was that smile that finally triggered Hugo’s memory.
She had been standing behind the group of women his mother had been boasting to.
She hadn’t been with them, but it had been clear that she’d been eavesdropping on their conversation.
“I don’t believe I’ve been formally introduced to Lady Hawthorne, but I have heard of the illustrious lady,” Jessamine stated, giving a tiny curtsy in Lady Hawthorne’s direction.
“Yes, well, my cousin was telling me how your darling son has the most amazing magical gift. She stated you claim your son can spin straw into gold.”
An icy hand gripped Hugo’s lungs, freezing his breath so he couldn’t draw in even a gasp of air.
Oh gods, no! By stressing that Lady Hawthorne was the queen’s cousin, she was possibly hinting that his mother had dared to lie to a member of the royal family.
There was only one punishment for such a thing—death.
His brain ran in panicked circles. What was he supposed to do?
Could his mother just claim that it was a silly joke?
That she hadn’t meant for anyone to take her seriously?
If Hugo hadn’t rushed her out of there so suddenly, she would have explained that it was all a joke.
Yes, that was the course of action. It was a harmless joke, and the queen would simply reprimand them for their thoughtlessness. Possibly give them a small fine to pay.
Hugo swallowed and gathered up the courage to speak, hoping to smooth over the moment.
“Yes, of course my son can spin straw into gold,” Jessamine blurted out before Hugo could say a word.
“It’s something we don’t speak of. We don’t want to brag.
I’m afraid that it would bring fortune hunters to our door, and I very much want to find a good love match for my son.
He has recently turned twenty-two and needs to be married. ”
The world almost went black for a second. Hugo’s heart stopped, and his brain no longer worked. It wasn’t accepting new information. When given the opportunity to come clean, his mother had doubled down on her lie. Now she was lying directly to the queen and not just the queen’s beloved cousin.
He was dead. His mother had signed their death warrants.
Upon their failure to return home, Hugo could only hope that Dorian would realize what had happened and would take Augustine far from Buckleford and Frostbourne for their own safety.
Maybe they could find a tiny cottage somewhere.
Dorian could work at another bookshop, and Augustine could…
hell, he didn’t know what Augustine could do, but he had faith that his brother would figure something out.
“Excellent. Then you wouldn’t mind if I gave your son a test.”
“A test?” Jessamine gulped.
“Yes, a little thing. I’ll have him placed in a room filled with straw and a spinning wheel.
If he can turn all the straw into gold within twenty-four hours, I will reward him with…
oh…let’s say, a lunch with Prince Everand.
I’m sure he’d have some useful advice for Mr. Baker on how to find a good husband, and they would undoubtedly have a lovely conversation. ”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Jessamine murmured.
“But if he fails to spin the straw into gold, your son will be executed for lying to the crown,” Queen Liliana finished in a cold, hard voice.
“What? No, I…” Jessamine gasped, her quavering voice trailing off at the end.
Hugo glanced over, and his eyes met his mother’s wide, tear-filled ones.
The horror of what her lies had created was finally clear to her.
She’d thought it was a lark that would never be tested, even by the queen.
She would have done anything to make sure that her son landed the very best possible husband, ensuring they all had a comfortable life.
No more char work. No more being looked down on and scraping to get by.
He understood her desperation to remain free of that pit and not to allow her children to fall into it.
Hugo’s heart softened. She might have gotten him into this mess, but he would not allow her to fall with him. Dorian and Augustine still needed their mother, and maybe his death would make her more cautious with her other two sons.
“But…I didn’t mean…”
Hugo grabbed one of his mother’s hands and squeezed it tightly as he took a large step in front of her, blocking her from the view of everyone in the room. “Yes, I can do it. I will do it. I’m the one who told my mother I can spin straw into gold, and I will.”
Behind him, his mother clung to his hand with both of hers, her fingers painfully icy.
“Wonderful,” the queen declared and motioned for a servant.
Hugo bowed low to the queen. “Please, Your Majesty, would you send my mother home while I spin the straw? It’s a long time for my younger brothers to be without her, and I don’t want them to worry.”
“Very well. Say your good-byes, and then a servant will take you to where you’ll be working,” the queen commanded, sounding bored with the whole affair.
Hugo turned to face his mother, who looked as if she were mere seconds from bursting into tears. He forced a smile and brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”
“But…” It was the only word left to her.
“Take good care of Dorian and Augustine. I’ll get on well enough here. Everything will be fine.”
Hugo held on to his smile as the butler returned to escort Jessamine through the palace to the waiting carriage. His smile fell away when several guards escorted him to a straw-filled room in the tower.